Especially with all the media hype around this story now.”
“What about Chance? What’s his punishment?”
“Undecided at the moment. I’m going to have a talk with him along with Coach Adams. Things like this cannot happen anymore.”
“Agreed,” she said.
Robert gazed at her for a moment. “I’m sorry, Aria. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this. I was hoping that Chance would calm down with someone like you in his life. It seemed as though it did for a moment.”
She forced herself to summon a smile, and to fight back the tears. “It’s not your fault. It’s all on him at this point.”
“It is. Take the rest of the week off. Consider it a paid vacation because the media is going to go crazy with this story.”
Arabella exited his office to find Chance standing in the hallway, blocking her way out. Just the sight of him made the pit of her stomach churn. Images of Lindsey pushed up against him flashed through her mind.
“Get out of my way,” she said, quietly.
“Just let me explain,” Chance said, ignoring the request. “It wasn’t what it looked like. It—”
“Oh really?” Bitterness swelled up in her chest quickly. “Because it looked like you were hooking up with my best friend in the parking lot after coming to my house and kissing me.”
Chance’s gaze never deterred from hers. “I didn’t kiss Lindsey. I didn’t want her at all. She practically jumped all over me.”
“That’s not what it looks like in the picture. Pictures are worth a thousand words.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he insisted, a fire now blazing in his eyes. “Just give me a chance to explain what happened.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Arabella snapped at him. “Because of you, I have cameras being shoved into my face. Because of you, I look like a complete idiot in front of millions of people. This whole thing was to help you, and you literally just took a big dump all over the people trying to save your ass from being let go.”
She went to shove him out of the way, but Chance quickly grabbed ahold of her wrist tightly.
“I’m not stupid,” he said, darkly. “I know you’re here to help me, but you’re not so innocent out of all of this either.”
“Chance—” Robert started warningly.
Anger burned through Arabella’s skin. “What the hell have I done?”
“If you’d just let things go the way the way they want to go then none of this would have happened.”
“You’re kidding me right?”
It hit her hard then and there that Chance fully intended to use their “relationship” as a means to satisfy himself in the process because of the media scrutiny. “You’re unbelievable. I would never sleep with you just because you can’t have a piece of ass outside of this whole mess.”
“Right,” Chance said, “and you’re going to be celibate for the rest of your life because of some sort of heartache that happened to you in the past? And I’m the fucked up one?”
Slap.
Arabella’s hand stung from where it had collied perfectly in the center of Chance’s cheek. He let go of her wrist, reaching up to touch his cheek. An even darker expression filled his rugged face that had yet to be shaved.
“Don’t ever hit me again,” he said.
“Don’t ever talk about what you don’t know,” she replied, breathing heavily from the intensity of her emotions.
She turned to look at Robert who stood paralyzed in the hallway.
“I’m done,” she said. “I’m not going to do this anymore. That’s it.”
***
Chapter Nine
Chance
The week only got worse with the media shit storm that followed Chance to practice and afterwards as well. The only thing that had saved him from being benched for the entire season was Lindsey’s account of what happened. Robert wanted to do a press conference with
“What about Chance? What’s his punishment?”
“Undecided at the moment. I’m going to have a talk with him along with Coach Adams. Things like this cannot happen anymore.”
“Agreed,” she said.
Robert gazed at her for a moment. “I’m sorry, Aria. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this. I was hoping that Chance would calm down with someone like you in his life. It seemed as though it did for a moment.”
She forced herself to summon a smile, and to fight back the tears. “It’s not your fault. It’s all on him at this point.”
“It is. Take the rest of the week off. Consider it a paid vacation because the media is going to go crazy with this story.”
Arabella exited his office to find Chance standing in the hallway, blocking her way out. Just the sight of him made the pit of her stomach churn. Images of Lindsey pushed up against him flashed through her mind.
“Get out of my way,” she said, quietly.
“Just let me explain,” Chance said, ignoring the request. “It wasn’t what it looked like. It—”
“Oh really?” Bitterness swelled up in her chest quickly. “Because it looked like you were hooking up with my best friend in the parking lot after coming to my house and kissing me.”
Chance’s gaze never deterred from hers. “I didn’t kiss Lindsey. I didn’t want her at all. She practically jumped all over me.”
“That’s not what it looks like in the picture. Pictures are worth a thousand words.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he insisted, a fire now blazing in his eyes. “Just give me a chance to explain what happened.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Arabella snapped at him. “Because of you, I have cameras being shoved into my face. Because of you, I look like a complete idiot in front of millions of people. This whole thing was to help you, and you literally just took a big dump all over the people trying to save your ass from being let go.”
She went to shove him out of the way, but Chance quickly grabbed ahold of her wrist tightly.
“I’m not stupid,” he said, darkly. “I know you’re here to help me, but you’re not so innocent out of all of this either.”
“Chance—” Robert started warningly.
Anger burned through Arabella’s skin. “What the hell have I done?”
“If you’d just let things go the way the way they want to go then none of this would have happened.”
“You’re kidding me right?”
It hit her hard then and there that Chance fully intended to use their “relationship” as a means to satisfy himself in the process because of the media scrutiny. “You’re unbelievable. I would never sleep with you just because you can’t have a piece of ass outside of this whole mess.”
“Right,” Chance said, “and you’re going to be celibate for the rest of your life because of some sort of heartache that happened to you in the past? And I’m the fucked up one?”
Slap.
Arabella’s hand stung from where it had collied perfectly in the center of Chance’s cheek. He let go of her wrist, reaching up to touch his cheek. An even darker expression filled his rugged face that had yet to be shaved.
“Don’t ever hit me again,” he said.
“Don’t ever talk about what you don’t know,” she replied, breathing heavily from the intensity of her emotions.
She turned to look at Robert who stood paralyzed in the hallway.
“I’m done,” she said. “I’m not going to do this anymore. That’s it.”
***
Chapter Nine
Chance
The week only got worse with the media shit storm that followed Chance to practice and afterwards as well. The only thing that had saved him from being benched for the entire season was Lindsey’s account of what happened. Robert wanted to do a press conference with
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